A year of lost freedom: $6,000

August 12, 2006

How do you put a price on a year of freedom? Illinois puts the value at $6,000. That's how much the state compensated Michael Evans for each of the 27 years he spent imprisoned for a crime DNA evidence showed he didn't commit.

Evans left prison in 2003 and received little more than a hug from his family. No money. No training. No job placement. No therapy. No apology.

It took two more years and a governor's pardon before the state coughed up $162,000 to compensate Evans for his lost life. Evans has distributed most of that sum to family members and others who helped win his release.

On Tuesday, Evans lost a $60 million civil lawsuit he brought against 10 former Chicago police officers he accused of conspiring to manipulate evidence and coerce an eyewitness in his criminal trial. So $162,000 is likely to be all he'll get for his ... inconvenience.

More than 90 percent of the people who have been released after a false conviction have lost all their assets, including cars, savings and homes, according to a study by the California-based Life After Exoneration Project. Of those who land a job, 43 percent earn less than they did prior to imprisonment, 39 percent find work at similar pay, and only 17 percent are paid more than they did before prison.

Twenty-one states, the District of Columbia and the federal government have laws governing compensation. Many states require that the person get a pardon, which can be difficult to obtain, or proof of innocence, which can be a serious challenge in cases that don't involve DNA evidence.

If you meet those hurdles, you'll be treated far better in some states than you will in Illinois.

Massachusetts caps total reimbursement at $500,000, but also offers social services and education.

New Jersey pays $20,000 for each year spent in prison or twice the income made in the year before incarceration, whichever is greater.

Pennsylvania pays $50,000 for each year spent on Death Row. The state also provides health care coverage for up to 10 years after release. It also compensates for services to help reintegrate into the work world.

California pays $100 for each day spent behind bars.

Federal prisoners are entitled to $50,000 a year; $100,000 for each year on Death Row.

Evans was arrested at age 17 and spent every day of his adult life behind bars for rape and murder, largely because of the testimony of one witness, whose credibility was questionable. Evans' conviction was overturned in 2003 after DNA evidence showed someone else had sexually assaulted the victim.

Evans says he tried to remain positive and to fight feelings of bitterness while he was in prison. He relied on the Bible.

He ought to be able to rely on the state of Illinois for more than he has gotten for 27 years of freedom denied.